Mark Wilkinson is undoubtedly one of the most captivating acoustic artists to emerge from Australia in recent times. He’s sold out shows right around his home country, as well as in neighbouring New Zealand, the U.S., and across Europe and the U.K. He’s toured arenas with some of the highest selling artists of all time including Brian Wilson, Chicago, America, and Peter Frampton. He’s performed live on television in Germany and The Netherlands, and has been voted the ‘Singer/Songwriter Discovery of the Year’ in North America by SiriusXM Radio, with almost 30 million listeners. He’s an impassioned, independent singer/songwriter with a global view and an international following, built on the word-of-mouth of dedicated fans.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with Mark Wilkinson about the new project, his influences and much more.
Full Q&A along with streams and links below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K_J1Ojdvfo
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m from Sydney Australia. I write mostly on acoustic guitar and play a lot of solo shows so in that sense I am predominantly a singer/songwriter. Some of my studio recordings are more embellished though. I like the song to dictate what path the production takes rather than feeling like I need to adhere to a specific genre. Because of that, some stuff ends up really stripped back and acoustic whereas other stuff is quite rich and layered.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
I was taught the basics on acoustic guitar by a close friend of mine just out of high school. From that moment I fell in love with playing and songwriting and it kind of took over my life. I can’t imagine doing anything else now. I’m motivated by how much I love to perform and write. To write something you are really proud of is very fulfilling and to be able to share and connect with an audience through music is an incredible feeling.
Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to your creativity?
I think it comes down to people mostly. Whether it’s something deeply personal or something observed in others, I find most of my inspiration comes from the relationships that exist around me. Lovers, friends and family are a big part of that but I also find inspiration sometimes comes from a novel, tv or film.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
My latest release is the first time (outside of my solo acoustic stuff) when I have self produced. I really wanted to see where I could take these recordings as a producer. Usually I have a vision for how I would like a particular track to end up and I wanted to see how close I could get to that vision. It was certainly a challenge taking on that extra responsibility in the studio but I learned a lot in doing so.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
I think the rise of music streaming adds another financial hurdle to an already difficult industry. Fewer people are buying CDs and the return on streaming services such as Spotify is pretty miserable. CD sales have traditionally been a significant portion of my income but increasingly recorded music is becoming a promotional mechanism to get people to come to your concerts rather than a reliable source of revenue.
On the flip side though, digital media makes promoting and sharing music really easy. Youtube, Instagram, Facebook etc can be really powerful tools to get your music out there. People are also less reliant on radio to tell them what to listen to and more people are discovering independent artist through Youtube and streaming services that allow you to search and listen to whatever or whomever you want.
How do you feel about streaming services? Any romantic attachments to the physical formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs?
I think streaming services have positives and negatives. On the plus side, people have more autonomy over what they listen to and people have easier access to music. Someone can hear you playing at a concert and have your music on their phone in a few seconds which is great. Word of mouth remains really important and the success of independent artists relies less on radio “gate keepers”.
I certainly do still have a romantic attachment to physical formats though. I think having something tangible helps give music more of a value. Physical formats also allow you to be creative with the packaging and presentation of the music and time stamp it which gives a purchase more historical significance.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
- www.markwilkinsonmusic.com
- Facebook.com/markwilkinsonmusic
- Instagram.com/markwilkinsonmusic
- Twitter.com/mark_wilkinson
- YouTube.com/markwilkinsonmusic
And you can find me on Pandora and Spotify as well.
Anything else before we sign off?
Thanks for listening!
